Spring has Sprung

Spring is finally here in South Yorkshire! I've been visiting the allotment almost every day, trying to get as much digging finished as possible before the last frosts in May. I'm certainly getting there, only got a few more beds to dig now and I've had wood and aluminium covering the ground to kill the grass and weeds off so it's easier to dig.

Pond and wildflower area

Still plenty of raking to do!

It's getting there...slowly

I've sown the wildflower seeds next to the little pond; this year I've covered them with a little polytunnel to stop the birds eating most of them. Last year I had plenty of cornflowers grow but not much else - I'd love lots of poppies this year.

The greenhouse - looking a little worse for wear after the Autumn storms

 

Some of the flowers in the bulb border. The hyacinths smell gorgeous - 15 in total.

The bulbs are looking gorgeous. The tulips are yet to flower, and the little snakes-head fritillaries are slowly pushing their way out of the soil at the front. I'm going to edge this border off with bricks, to try and stop the grass creeping back, and also to make it look a little neater.

 

 

The sweet peas and "eating" peas (as I call them) are germinating in the greenhouse. I have planted loads of each, as peas are my favourite veg - the only veg I will eat willingly - and I can never get enough of the smell of sweet pea flowers.

However, the Mouse War has begun again, as like last year. Last spring, I rather naively left all my seedtrays of peas on the greenhouse floor. Within a matter of days, every single one had been dug up and eaten. So this year, I placed my pea seeds into the horticultural equivalent of Fort Knox. As you can see, nearly every one has germinated. My sunflower, sweetcorn and, most gut-wrenchingly, my dahlia seeds, were left to fend for themselves on the floor this time and the mouse has decided to snack on those instead.

So it is now gloves off. I've replanted my seeds and dug out every available piece of wire grid and netting I can find lying around on the plot, and created barriers no scheming little mouse can cross. It seems to have worked so far; but just to ensure the fellow doesn't get hungry enough to find a way past my defences, I've left a little peace offering:

Dried mealworm bait

 

Dried mealworms are on the menu tonight; the peanuts went down well earlier this week too.

Natalie 1: Mouse 1.





Hathersage and Stanage Edge via North Lees

Hello all.

I haven't been for a decent walk for a while now, and after a quick look at the weather forecast for Wednesday I decided a trip to Hathersage was in order. I looked up a few ideas for a walk and settled on what would be my first trip up Stanage Edge.

Hood's Brook

After packing enough clothes for an Arctic expedition, Sybil and I boarded the trains to our destination. The weather wasn't as cold as expected, however; and I soon began to feel toasty in my two jumpers, gloves, hat and fluffy socks. Layers of clothing were gradually shed as the miles started to add up.

First glimpse of Stanage

North Lees Hall

We were soon walking past North Lees Hall, an impressive property now part of a sheep farm, offering refreshments for walkers in the summer months. Today though, the Hall was quiet and we headed over the field nearby to enter a short woodland path, filled with the trilling calls of blue, great and long-tailed tits flying from branch to branch searching for food. I took a five minute breather (it was all uphill, after all!) to stand back and enjoy their antics.

A wooded walk

Waiting patiently

Soon the climbing became more intense as we joined the flagstone path to the top of Stanage. Every now and then I would stop to catch my breath and look back to see a rather strange procession of mattresses snaking their way up the path behind me. It was only when they caught up to us, which wasn't hard given how unfit I am, that I saw they were strapped to the back of people who were obviously going to climb the rock face. Rather them than me.

Crazy mutt

We finally reached the top and sat down to admire the views and have a bite to eat. The shed clothes quickly began making their way back on as the air grew chilly now we were more exposed to the wind; even Sybil sat close to my left side, using me as a windbreak.

Posing puppy

Gateway to adventure

No wonder Stanage Edge is such a popular location. To one side you have sweeping views across the Hope Valley, towards Lose Hill and Kinder Scout in the distance and on the other side there is the vast expanse of moorland between the national park and Sheffield.

Surveying her Kingdom

Sybil was thoroughly enjoying her freedom now the lambing and nesting season were over. She could pick out which of the fellow hikers we passed had a soft spot for dogs and would head straight over for the obligatory fuss. She stayed well away from the edge of the cliff, and once ventured over the remains of the drystone wall onto the Hallam Moors, flushing from the long grass two red grouse who had fortunately survived the shooting season.

Farewell Stanage Edge

S Michael's Church

All too soon we were leaving the Edge and heading down onto the road, back towards the village. Trudging through some muddy fields, Sybil enjoyed her last taste of freedom before we reached the church where Little John was allegedly buried.

Here lies buried Little John

 
We hightailed it down Hathersage's main street and managed to make the 13.46 train home. And to think concerned about finishing the walk before dark.

Storm clouds over Plot 23

Summer is starting to wind down and the nights are closing in fast. Evenings are my favourite time of the day to spend at the allotment; I will usually get down there for about 5 or 6pm and stay until it begins to get dark. It's a satisfying way to wrap up the day, and the cooler temperatures at this time makes it easier to do any jobs.

Larkspur

 

Sweet pea

The flowers are starting to look a little tatty around the edges now. I'm still deadheading my cornflowers and cutting sweet peas, but less and less flowers are coming back each time. It will soon be time to collect seeds and tidy up the borders, ready for the colder months ahead.

Ruby Red

Tall Lemon

Bumblebee on Tall Lemon

Ruby Red

The sunflowers had a bit of a late start in life, as I took my time digging over the beds, so they are not as tall as I would have liked. The flowerheads have finally opened, and they are delightful to sit next to and look at. The bees adore them too.

Runner beans

I have more runner beans than I can possibly use, and my efforts to palm some off on friends and family are failing miserably. Not many people seem to like runner beans; shame they are so easy to grow!

Squash bed

Baby Pam pumpkin

Pumpkin and squash

The pumpkins and squash seem to be maturing nicely; having never grown them before, I wasn't sure what to expect. Yet plenty of compost and watering seems to be doing the trick.

Outdoor tomatoes

Marigold

Cinnabar moth caterpillar

The outdoor tomatoes have started to ripen. I have been drowning in tomatoes for weeks now, giving bagfuls away to family and friends. These outdoor ones are a variety called Tigrella; quite attractive-looking with green stripes on the fruit.

Cabbage bed

Hiding amongst the rhubarb

Quite a few weeds have rather annoyingly snuck in under the cabbage netting, despite digging and weeding the bed for two weeks before transplanting the seedlings and putting the cage up. Never mind; at least the plants are nice and healthy looking, and caterpillar free!

Shortly after snapping these pictures, myself and the canine had to retreat to the greenhouse to dodge a huge downpour. I was tidying up the pea supports when I glanced up and noticed an ominous black cloud was dominating the sky. Sybil needed no encouragement to retreat to shelter, and we stood and waited until the worst of it was over. Between showers, I managed to snap the following photos:

There were the beginnings of a glorious sunset in the west, whilst to the east the storm was still moving off, leaving a rainbow in its wake.

At one point lightening lit up the whole sky, sending Sybil running to the gate just as thunder boomed in the distance. This storm was no match for my collie-cross, and retreated to the other side of Rotherham as Sybil ran back to my side, victorious and proud.

With the evening drawing to a close, we set off home across the fields despite the rain trying to hold on. After all, someone once said life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain. We may not have been dancing, but it was fantastic to see a display of nature like this.

My water-phobic collie-cross